21 And when eight days were fulfilled for circumcising him, his
name was called JESUS, who was so called by the angel before he
was conceived in the womb.
22 And when the days of their purification according to the law of
Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present
him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every
male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord), 24
and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the
law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. 25
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon;
and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation
of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been
revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see
death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the
Spirit into the temple and when the parents brought in the child
Jesus, that they might do concerning him after the custom of the
law, 28 then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and
said,
29 Now lettest thou thy servant depart, O Lord,
According to thy word, in peace;
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples;
32 A light for revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of thy people Israel.
33 And his father and his mother were marvelling at the things
which were spoken concerning him; 34 and Simeon blessed them, and
said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this _child_ is set for the
falling and the rising of many in Israel; and for a sign which is
spoken against; 35 yea and a sword shall pierce through thine own
soul; that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed. 36 And
there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the
tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a
husband seven years from her virginity, 37 and she had been a
widow even unto fourscore and four years), who departed not from
the temple, worshipping with fastings and supplications night and
day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks unto God,
and spake of him to all them that were looking for the redemption
of Jerusalem. 39 And when they had accomplished all things that
were according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee,
to their own city Nazareth.
40 And the child grew, and waxed strong, filled with wisdom: and
the grace of God was upon him.
The incidents of the infancy of Jesus recorded by Luke not only add human
interest to the story but they interpret the future career and the saving
work of our Lord. Thus when on the eighth day he was named “Jesus,” a name
often given to Jewish boys, it was because he was destined to fulfill all
that the name implies, for he was to be the “Salvation of the Lord.”
So, too, when five weeks later he was presented in the Temple, when his
mother offered for herself a sacrifice which indicated lack of wealth but
not abject poverty, the real significance of the scene is set forth in the
prophetic utterances of the saintly Simeon and Anna. The first of these
utterances was the song of Simeon, called from the Latin form of its
opening words the Nunc Dimittis (“Now Lettest Thou Depart”). To this
devout soul it had been revealed that he should not die until he had seen
the Messiah, “the Lord’s Christ.” Led by the Spirit to the Temple while
the parents of Jesus are there presenting their Son before the Lord, he
took the little babe in his arms and sang the sweetest and most solemn
song of the nativity, which, unlike the Magnificat or the Benedictus,
promises redemption not only to Israel but to all the world.
“Now lettest thou thy servant depart ... in peace;” the figure of speech
is full of beauty; it is the word of a faithful watchman who welcomes with
joy the hour of his dismissal, for he has caught the vision of the coming
One; now he is about to be sent away in the peace of an accomplished task,
in the peace of fulfilled hope; for his eyes have seen the Saviour
according to the promise of the Lord. The redemption which the Messiah
brings, as the song continues to declare, is for all peoples; it is a
light to reveal the way of salvation to the Gentiles; it is to be the true
glory of the favored people, Israel.
While this salvation is provided for all, it will not be accepted by all.
To the wondering mother, Simeon uttered a dark word of prophecy. The
ministry of Jesus will be the occasion for the fall and the rise of many.
Their attitude toward him will be a revelation of character; some will
reject him and thus condemn themselves; some will speak against him, even
though he is the very token and instrument of divine salvation; this
opposition will reach its climax at the cross, when bitter anguish like a
sword will pierce the soul of Mary. Jesus is to be the touchstone of
character; wherever he is known, by accepting or by rejecting him, men
will disclose their true nature; “the thoughts out of many hearts” will be
“revealed.”
While Mary and Joseph were still wondering at these sublime words there
appeared an aged prophetess whose long years of widowhood had been spent
in continual worship; she, too, praised God for the salvation to be
accomplished by the Child of Mary and she went forth to speak of him to
all who like her “were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
Mary and Joseph, however, returned to their home in Nazareth where Jesus
was to spend his infancy and early childhood. During those years of
obscurity his development was normal, but unique in its symmetry and its
perfection; he “grew, and waxed strong” in body, but there was just as
true a growth in mind and spirit; he was “filled with wisdom: and the
grace of God was upon him.” The Saviour of the world was to be the ideal
Man.